Bog Springs agreement remains elusive

A stream restoration project proposed for the area at Ruidoso High School still does not have the endorsement of the school board. An agreement that would allow the village of Ruidoso to proceed was not approved by the school board on Thursday.

"Do we have any information on the Bog Springs project, Dr. Bickert?" Ruidoso School District Board President RhondaVincent asked Superintendent George Bickert. Bickert said the proposed agreement with Ruidoso still is being reviewed by legal counsel.

"I don't know if this is going to work," school board member Greg Cory said. "We're really going to start pushing that deadline."

The Bog Springs project would create a couple of ponds from the nearly perennial flow in a stream fed by springs. It also would reconfigure some of the entrance to the high school to create an entrance park and new traffic flows.

"Have you heard from (Ruidoso Village Manager) Debi Lee?" Cory asked Bickert. The reply was he had not.

School board member Kevin Flusche asked when the village council would convene.

"Weren't they waiting on us to approve this?" he said of the agreement.

"They had a special meeting Tuesday," Cory said. "I don't believe they took action on this."

During the special village council meeting, Lee said a project plan had been presented to the school district.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for May 14.

"Would you mind emailing Debi Lee and just reminding her that if they want to do this?" Cory began to ask Bickert.

Cory said a special school board meeting may be necessary before the May 14 session to keep the project on a summer timeline and not interfere with the return to classes in August.

Vincent said a decision at the May 14 meeting could work because work would not start until the end of the school year.

Board member Curt Temple said the project would be done during June and July.

"So I think we might be OK," Vincent said.

But Cory said there are pre-construction needs.

"I'm just concerned because I'm hoping Curt has ample time to look at what they're proposing," Cory said.

Temple, who in addition to being on the school board is a planning director, said the project also needs to be reviewed by the school district's bus contractor to assure that turning radiuses in a turnaround inside the project.

"Because they're going to take out that whole circle there at the high school and redo that as a horseshoe," Temple said of the paved entranceway.

Flusche said the high school principal had stated the bus contractor had reviewed initial thoughts for the make over. But he said the bus company also needs to look at hard plans.

Temple said Ruidoso's Street Department director told him that he did not know what was going to be done because he did not have plans.

Meanwhile, activities in advance of the ground work is moving along.

"Stream Dynamics (the restoration design company) has hired Paul van Gulick from Occam (Consulting Engineers, Inc.) in Albuquerque," Temple said. "He was already working on it when I talked to him last week."

Van Gulick will prepare grading and drainage plans, as well as a site development plant and hydrologic work.

The Bog Springs restoration initiative is required as part of an environmental lawsuit settlement involving pollution from the former wastewater treatment plant owned and used by Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs.